CHRIS FOX PHOTO
Several members of the Villa Park Police Department joined other area law enforcement officers to participate in the 2020 Polar Plunge at the Oak Brook Bath and Tennis Club on Saturday, Feb. 29. The officers took a brief plunge into the frigid waters of an outdoor pond at the club. The Polar Plunge is a fundraising event for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois. The Villa Park officers who took part in the plunge raised about $6,000. Participants included Villa Park Police Chief Michael Lay and the two captains of the department’s Polar Plunge team—Detective D.J. Giammarino and Officer Ilir Bekteshi. “It was very cold and very fun,” said Bekteshi after emerging from the pond. Willowbrook High School Principal Dan Krause joined the Villa Park Police Department team in taking the plunge. Giammarino, the resource officer at the school, spoke to Krause about a donation to the team. “He asked if I would donate, and I said that I would love to do it,” said Krause on Saturday. “I had never done it before. It was a great experience for a great cause.”
